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A  SERMON 


BY  THE 


REV.  GEORGE  HALE,  D.  D. 


PREPARED    FOR  THE 

Presbyterian  Congregation  of  Pennington,  N.  J., 

AND  BEAD  TO  THEM  BY  THE  PASTOR, 

EEV.  DAYID  "WILLS,  JR., 

SABBATH   MORNING,  NOVEMBER  18th,  1888. 


Kor  the   KatVier  seeketti   sxacln  to  ^Arorship  Him. 


I>XrBIiISIIBX)    BY   I2,EQ,TJEST. 


PHILADELPHIA: 

The  Jas.  B.  Rodgers  Printing  Company, 

52  and  54  North  Sixth  Street. 

1889. 


PREFACE. 


The  author  of  this  discourse,  the  Rev.  George  Hale,  D.  D.,  in  view 
of  the  approaching  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  beginning  of  his  pastoral 
work  at  Pennington,  New  Jersey,  having  expressed  to  the  pastor  of  the 
church  a  desire  to  address  a  letter  to  the  congregation,  a  committee  from 
the  Session  was  appointed  to  wait  upon  him,  and  extend  to  him  an  invita- 
tion to  be  present  on  that  day,  and  deliver  a  sermon  appropriate  to  the 
occasion. 

The  committee  visited  him  October  25th,  1888,  when  it  was  evident 
that  failing  health  would  prevent  his  attending  the  semi-centennial  ser- 
vices. He  was  then  actively  engaged  in  collecting  and  arranging  the 
materials  for  this  historical  sermon,  which  was  only  completed  a  few  hours 
before  his  death. 

It  was  his  last  message  to  the  people  of  his  heart ;  his  last  act  of  ser- 
vice to  the  Master  whom  he  had  loved  so  well.  That  message  finished, 
his  thoughts  turned  in  exalted  contemplation  to  the  great  Source  of  all 
good — to  Him  who  was  his  Hope,  his  Eternal  Refuge,  his  Portion  forever. 
"  O  God,  thou  art  my  God  from  everlasting  to  everlasting !  O  God,  thou 
art  my  God  from  everlasting  to  everlasting !  That  goes  before  all.  That 
is  for  myself.     That  is  mine;  the  rest  is  theirs." 

Dr.  Hale  died  on  Sabbath  evening,  the  11th  of  November,  1888, 
between  the  hours  of  ten  and  eleven,  one  week  previous  to  the  day  whose 
coming  he  had  anticipated  with  so  much  pleasure.  His  family  kindly 
forwarded  the  manuscript,  which  was  read  by  the  pastor.  Sabbath  morn- 
ing, November  18th,  1888,  in  the  presence  of  a  large  and  mourning 
congregation. 


"O  God,  thou  art  my  God  from  everlasting  to  everlasting. 


SEMI-  CENTENNIAL. 

NOVEMBER  18th,  1838.  NOVEMBER  18th,  1888. 


"Having  therefore  obtained  help  of  God,  I  continue  unto 
THIS  DAY."— Acts  xxvi,  22. 


Dearly  Beloved  of  my  former  Pastoral  Charge, 

Pennington,  New  Jersey: 
On  the  20th  of  February,  1838,  in  the  oratory  of  Princeton 
Theological  Seminary,  after  a  lecture  by  the  Rev.  Samuel  Miller,  he 
said,  "  Will  Mr.  Hale  remain  a  few  moments  after  the  class  is  dis- 
missed?" The  class  having  retired,  the  Doctor  proceeded  to  say  ; 
"  To-morrow  I  am  going  to  Pennington,  a  place  about  ten  miles  from 
this,  to  preach  for  the  Rev.  Mr.  Ogden  at  the  closing  up  of  a  series  of 
religious  services  that  he  has  been  holding  in  his  church.  He  requests 
that  I  bring  with  me  a  licentiate  to  preach  in  the  evening.  If  you 
are  willing  to  go,  you  will  not  lose  any  lecture  to-morrow,  for  there 
will  be  none,  and  I  will  give  you  a  seat  in  my  carriage."  The  invi- 
tation was  accepted ;  the  journey  taken  ;  the  sermon  preached  by  Dr. 
Miller,  and  he,  as  his  custom  was,  immediately  departed  for  his  home. 
The  young  licentiate  was  delivered  into  the  hands  of  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Ogden,  who  conveyed  him  to  the  house  of  John  D.  Hart,  north-west 
corner  of  Delaware  and  Main  Streets,  there  to  remain  as  a  guest  until 


the  object  of  his  mission  was  accomplished.  The  family  was  that  day 
in  great  affliction,  having  just  buried  their  only  child,  an  only  son. 
The  relatives  and  friends  were  at  the  house  mingling  their  sympathies 
with  the  afflicted,  and  this  brought  the  young  guest  into  more  im- 
mediate communication  with  the  bereaved  father,  who  bore  his  sorrow 
with  Christian  firmness.  Mr.  Hart  was  in  the  last  stages  of  pulmonary 
consumption,  yet  feeble  as  he  was,  covered  with  a  heavy  overcoat,  he 
attended  the  evening  service ;  text, — "  Alienated  and  enemies  in  your 
mind  by  wicked  works."  The  next  morning  Mr.  Hart  was  at  the 
service ;  text, — "  He  that  believeth  shall  be  saved ;  "  and  so  likewise 
in  the  evening ;  text, — "  Thanks  be  unto  God  for  his  unspeakable 
gift."  The  hearer  and  the  preacher  parted  that  evening  never  to  meet 
again  in  this  world.  Returning  to  Princeton  the  next  day,  as  a 
student  the  licentiate  prosecuted  his  work.  In  the  meantime,  within 
a  few  weeks,  Mr.  John  D.  Hart  had  died. 

Early  in  August  Mr.  Hale  called  at  the  study  of  Dr.  Hodge,  one 
of  the  professors.  During  the  interview  Dr.  Hodge  said,  "  Where  do 
you  go  when  you  leave  the  Seminary  ?  "  The  reply  was,  "  Though  I 
have  had  two  or  three  invitations  to  vacant  churches,  yet  I  have  not 
gone  to  preach  because  I  knew  that,  even  if  I  were  called,  I  should 
feel  constrained  to  decline."  The  Doctor  added,  "The  Rev.  Mr. 
Ogden,  pastor  of  Pennington  church,  was  here  a  few  days  ago  and 
stated  that  he  was  expecting  to  leave  the  pastoral  work  at  Pennington 
in  a  few  weeks  to  move  to  Michigan.  He  added  that  he  would  like 
very  much  to  have  you  for  his  successor.  That  is  a  very  good  field  to 
work  in,  and  I  advise  you  if  you  ever  have  an  invitation  to  accept  it." 
I  returned  to  my  study  and  found  there  two  men  awaiting  my  arrival, 
Dr.  James  B.  McNair  and  Isaac  W.  Welling.  They  briefly  stated 
the  object  of  their  call,  which  was  to  convey  from  the  Pennington 
congregation  an  informal  request  that  I  would  consent  to  visit  Penn- 
ington with  a  view  to  settlement  as  pastor  in  Mr.  Ogden's  place,  at 
the  close  of  my  Seminary  course.  The  proposition  was  accepted,  and 
after  subsequent  correspondence  with  Elder  Joseph  Titus,  Sabbath  the 


18th  day  of  November,  1838,  was  fixed  upon  as  the  time  at  which  to 
commence  the  proposed  service.  On  Saturday,  the  17th  of  November, 
a  friendly  hand  conveyed  the  young  licentiate  to  a  hospitable  lodging 
in  Pennington  in  anticipation  of  the  labors  of  the  Sabbath. 

Before  proceeding  further  it  is  proper  to  consider  a  fact  which  was 
not  known  until  afterwards,  a  fact  which  had  an  important  bearing 
upon  this  whole  movement.  Before  his  death,  Mr.  John  D.  Hart  had 
expressed  the  opinion  to  the  retiring  pastor,  Mr.  Ogden,  to  Dr.  McNair 
and  others,  that  an  effort  should  be  made  to  obtain  the  services  as 
pastor  of  the  young  man  who  preached  at  the  close  of  the  protracted 
meetings  in  February,  1838.     His  counsel  was  taken. 

Just  at  this  point  let  me  say  a  few  words  in  regard  to  Mr.  Hart. 
He  was  the  son  of  godly  parents, — ruling  elder  Israel  Hart  and  Mary 
Davison,  his  wife.  He  was  descended  by  a  line  of  Christian  ancestors 
from  one  of  the  first  settlers, — Joseph  Hart  and  his  wife  Hannah 
Phillips,  daughter  of  Justice  John  Phillips,  of  Pleasant  Valley.  Here 
we  have  an  evidence  of  God's  fidelity  to  His  covenant,  "  He  hath 
remembered  his  covenant  forever,  even  the  word  that  he  commanded 
unto  a  thousand  generations."  Here  we  see,  after  a  period  of  more 
than  a  hundred  years,  the  effect  upon  a  Christian  heart  which  settled 
the  question,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  who  was  to  be  the  pastor  of  that 
church.  A  devout  man,  much  given  to  prayer,  John  D.  Hart  con- 
tributed liberally  to  the  support  of  the  gospel  during  his  life,  testified 
his  interest  in  the  Christian  ministry  by  a  large  bequest  in  his  will, 
and  left  his  influence  and  name  a  precious  legacy  to  the  church. 

The  congregation  met  at  eleven  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  Sabbath 
the  eighteenth  of  November.  The  aspect  of  the  congregation  is  well 
remembered.  The  pulpit  of  the  old  church  stood  between  the  doors, 
two  aisles  only  being  on  the  main  floor,  a  gallery  for  the  colored 
people  on  the  right,  and  on  the  left  a  gallery  crowded  with  a  mass  of 
young  people  who  could  scarcely  find  seats.  At  the  right  of  the 
preacher,  sitting  in  the  front  pew,  was  the  wife  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Ogden 
with  a  group  of  five  or  six  children,  she  being  left  here  during  her 


8 

husband's  absence  in  Michigan.  At  the  preacher's  left,  sat  a  vener- 
able woman  with  one  of  her  daughters,  the  widow  of  Mr.  Ogden's 
predecessor,  the  Rev.  Joseph  Rue,  who  had  served  the  people  forty- 
one  years.  Immediately  beside  her  husband,  George  Muirheid,  was 
seated  the  only  surviving  daughter  of  that  man  of  God  who,  one 
hundred  years  before,  had  preached  the  first  sermon  after  his  licensure 
for  this  people  and  who  afterwards  became  their  pastor.  The  Rev. 
John  Guild  served  them  for  nearly  half  a  century. 

There  were  there,  the  venerable  Dr.  Henry  W.  Blachley,  Enoch 
Ketcham,  Aaron  Hart,  Sr.,  and  his  two  sons,  Aaron  and  Smith ;  Isaac 
Welling,  Charles  Welling,  Joseph  Titus  and  others  who  were  regular 
attendants  at  that  house  of  prayer,  and  whose  forms  became  familiar 
by  their  uniform  presence  at  the  sanctuary.  At  the  close  of  the  service 
the  preacher  was  invited  to  share  the  hospitalities  of  Mr.  Isaac  Welling, 
and  we  have  only  to  add,  that  the  five  persons  then  composing  the 
family  have  all  gone  to  their  eternal  rest,  the  speaker  officiating  at  the 
funerals  of  four  of  them. 

The  labor  in  this  new  field  then  began,— visiting  from  house  to 
house,  attending  to  the  general  duties  of  a  pastor,  until  a  call  had  been 
made  upon  all  but  two  families  of  the  congregation.  In  due  time, 
upon  invitation,  the  Rev.  Isaac  V.  Brown,  of  Lawrence ville,  preached 
in  the  church  and  gave  notice  of  a  meeting  of  the  congregation  to  be 
held  for  the  purpose  of  considering  the  question  of  the  call  of  a  pastor. 
That  meeting  was  held  on  Monday,  the  twelfth  day  of  January,  mod- 
erated by  the  Rev.  Hugh  Hamill,  of  Lawrenceville.  The  proceedings 
of  the  meeting  were  conducted  in  the  usual  form.  The  election  took 
place,  there  being  only  one  nomination.  A  call  was  made  out  to  be 
signed  by  the  elders  and  trustees,  and  the  work  of  the  meeting  was 
closed  by  the  appointment  of  James  Stevenson  and  George  Muirheid, 
Esq.,  a  committee  to  inform  the  pastor  elect  of  the  result  of  the  action 
of  the  congregation.  To  that  committee  Mr.  Hale  declared  his  accept- 
ance, subject  to  the  action  of  the  Presbytery. 

On  the  6th  of  February  Presbytery  met,  the  candidate  passed 


through  all  his  parts  of  trial  with  acceptance,  and  read  his  popular 
sermon  as  the  concluding  trial  for  ordination,  when  it  was  resolved  to 
proceed  to  the  ordination  and  installation  at  eleven  o'clock  A.  m.  on 
the  7th  of  February,  in  the  Presbyterian  church  at  Pennington.  Text 
of  trial  sermon, — "How  shall  man  be  just  with  God,"  Job  ix.  2. 
Agreeably  to  appointment  the  Presbytery  met.  Eev.  Archibald 
Alexander,  T>.  D.,  preached  the  sermon ;  text, — "  For  I  am  not 
ashamed  of  the  gospel  of  Christ ;  for  it  is  the  power  of  God  unto 
salvation  to  every  one  that  believeth ;  to  the  Jew  first  and  also  to  the 
Greek,"  Horn.  i.  16.  The  Rev.  Samuel  Miller,  D.  D.,  presided,  and 
made  the  ordaining  prayer.  The  Rev.  John  W.  Yeomans,  D.  D.,  of 
Trenton,  delivered  the  charge  to  the  pastor,  and  the  Rev.  Benj.  H. 
Rice,  D.  D.,  of  Princeton,  gave  the  charge  to  the  people. 

As  soon  as  I  had  been  invested  with  the  sacred  office  my  attention 
was  directed  to  the  importance  of  administering  the  Lord's  Supper  in 
a  cottage  of  the  congregation,  five  miles  north-west  of  the  village. 
That  it  was  a  special  case  will  appear  from  the  statement.  The 
subject,  Cato  Welling,  was  brought  a  slave  from  Africa  when  seven 
years  old,  and  landed  in  Philadelphia.  He  became  the  property  of 
the  Rev.  William  Kirkpatrick,  Amwell,  N.  J.,  and  was  afterwards  a 
slave  in  the  family  of  John  Welling,  Esq.,  from  whom  he  took  his 
name.  After  he  was  manumitted  he  remained  in  the  western  section 
of  the  towaiship,  in  a  picturesque  nook  in  the  extreme  eastern  end  of 
Pleasant  Valley.  He  was  then  bed-ridden,  almost  totally  blind,  and 
nearly  one  hundred  years  old.  About  fifty  communicants  gathered  at 
the  house.  Cato  was  examined  by  the  session,  accepted  and  baptized 
in  the  presence  of  the  assembly,  immediately  after  which  the  sacrament 
was  administered  to  him,  in  connection  with  others  who  were  present. 
A  circumstance  which  attracted  attention  was,  that  as  the  wine  cup 
was  handed  to  him,  he  exclaimed,  "Yes,  Christ's  blood !"  Only  about 
a  year  or  two  afterwards  he  went  to  his  long  home. 

My  first  administration  of  the  sacrament  of  baptism  was  in  the 
family  of  Dr.  James  B.  McNair  and  his  wife,  Mary  Ann  King;   the 


10 

snbject  being  their  only  child  Mary,  the  mother  of  the  wife  of  the 
present  pastor  of  this  church. 

During  these  fifty  years  many  changes  have  taken  place.  Every 
minister  who  was  then  a  member  of  the  Presbytery  of  New  Brunswick 
has  died  save  one,  the  Rev.  James  Clark,  D.D.,  of  Philadelphia.  This 
departure  includes,  of  course,  the  four  who  officiated  at  the  ordination. 

In  1838  there  were  about  one  hundred  pew-holders.  .Of  these, 
only  one  is  living,  and  a  pew-holder  in  this  congregation  to-day, 
namely  :  Elizabeth  Welling,  widow  of  David  N.  Wiley.  One  other 
person  became  a  pew-holder  within  three  years  afterward  and  is  still 
with  you,  Moses  H.  Burroughs. 

Of  the  two  hundred  and  fifty-nine  members  connected  with  the 
Pennington  Church,  Nov.,  1838,  eleven  only  are  living,  as  follows : 

Enoch  Armitage  Titus. 

Julia  Ann  Cook,  widow  of  Samuel  C.  Cornell. 

Elizabeth  Welling,  widow  of  David  N.  Wiley. 

Catherine  Wykoff,  widow  of  C.  L.  Wynkoop. 

Letitia  McClellan,  widow  of  Asher  Brown. 

Hannah  Wykoff,  widow  of  John  Conrad. 

Rowland  Wykoff,  widow  of  David  Bishop  Skillman. 

Jane  Quick,  widow  of  Samuel  Hart. 

Miss  Louisa  Ketcham,  daughter  of  Enoch  Ketcham. 

Miss  Eliza  Blackwell,  daughter  of  Daniel  J.  Blackwell. 

Miss  Hannah  McClellan,  daughter  of  John  McClellan. 

Two  liundred  and  forty-eight  are  dead.  At  the  end  of  fifty  years, 
•all  the  ruling  elders,  eleven  in  number ;  all  the  trustees,  seven  in 
number,  and  all  the  deacons,  three  in  number,  are  dead.  Dr.  Hale 
■officiated  at  the  funerals  of  all  of  them  excepting  C.  L.  Wynkoop, 
Reuben  Titus,  Sr.,  Edmund  Roberts  and  Theophilus  Furman.  During 
the  thirty  years  of  my  pastorate  the  session  was  always  of  one  mind  ; 
sustained  by  the  Church  ;  sustained  by  the  congregation,  and  no  appeal 
was  ever  made  from  its  decisions  to  the  Presbytery. 


11 

When  I  first  came  hither,  there  were  four  physicians  in  the  place, 
Dr.  Henry  Wickhara  Blachley,  Dr.  Absalom  Blachley,  Dr.  Henry 
Perrine  Welling,  Dr.  James  Bennett  McNair,  Their  frequent  pres- 
ence at  the  public  services  of  the  sanctuary,  their  devout  listening  to 
the  preached  word,  their  cordial  reception  of  the  pastor  at  their  tables 
and  their  firesides,  and  their  readiness  to  give  him  every  facility  in  his 
work,  were  highly  gratifying  and  worthy  of  permanent  record,  and 
of  this  public  acknowledgment.  I  hereby  testify  that  they  were  well 
instructed  in  the  way  of  salvation  by  Christ,  and  not  ignorant  of  their 
responsibilities  to  God.  I  officiated  at  the  funeral  of  each  of  them, 
and  saw  them  laid  beneath  the  ground  in  this  adjoining  burial-place, 
in  the  encouraging  hope  that  they  had  gone  to  meet  the  Great 
Physician,  and  that  we  shall  see  them  again  at  the  resurrection  of 
the  just. 

Of  the  one  hundred  and  twelve  communicants  who  took  their  seats 
at  the  Lord's  table,  in  Marcli,  1842,  seventy-eight  are  dead,  twenty- 
four  have  at  various  times  removed  into  other  congregations ;  ten  are 
still  living : 

Mrs.  Achsah  Louisa  Welling. 

Miss  Ellen  S.  Mershon. 

Mrs.  Mary  Hayway  Brown. 

Mrs.  Keturah  Hart  Phillips. 

INIrs.  Helen  Hunt  Voorhees. 

Miss  Sarah  S.  Vannoy. 

John  S.  Hunt. 

Moses  H.  Burroughs. 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  Drake. 

Mrs.  Catherine  Rebecca  Hunt. 
During  my  administration,  there  were  five  hundred  and  sixty-nine 
funerals,  at  the  majority  of  which  I  officiated  personally.  Nearly  all 
of  these  individuals  were  buried  in  this  church-yard  and  adjoining 
cemetery.  They  were  of  every  age  from  one  month  up  to  ninety-nine 
years.     If  the  ratio  of  deaths  has  been  the  same  in  the  last  twenty 


12 

years  it  would  bring  the  mortality  up  to  at  least  nine  hundred  and 
fifty  for  the  past  half  century,  or  an  average  of  eighteen  per  year. 

The  Christian  elements  of  the  Hopewell  Church  were  such  as  to  give 
promise  of  stability.     Take  the  following  names : 

Enoch  Aemitage,*  from  the  West  Riding  of  Yorkshire,  England, 
came  to  this  country  in  1719.  Died  January,  1739.  His  son  Reuben 
was  a  ruling  elder ;  daughter  Mary,  wife  of  Ephraim  Titus.  Ruling 
elders  and  others  prominent  in  the  church  descended  from  him : 
Enoch  Green,  of  Easton,  Daniel  G.  Howell,  Lewis  J.  Titus,  of  Lam- 
bertville,  Enoch  A.  Titus,  Reuben  Titus,  Deacon  Daniel  C.  Titus, 
Benj.  Ogden  Titus,  the  Rev.  Enoch  Green. 

Elnathan  Baldwin,  ruling  elder,  and  Keziah  his  wife,  daughter 
of  Rev.  John  Prudden.  His  son  Thomas  Baldwin,  was  also  ruling 
elder. 

Thomas  Buerowes,  and  Mercy  his  wife.  The  following  ruling 
elders  descended  from  him, — Major  Stephen  Burrowes,  Nathaniel  Bur- 
rowes,  also  the  Rev.  George  Burrowes,  D.  D.,  Professor  of  Hebrew  in 
the  Theological  Seminary  at  San  Francisco,  Cal. 

Edwaed  Hart,  father  of  John  Hart,  who  was  a  signer  of  the 
Declaration  of  Independence. 

Major  Ralph  Hart,  grandfather  of  Dr.  Noah  Hart,  whose 
father,  Ralph  Hart,  married  Jemima,  daughter  of  George  Woolsey. 
Jemima  Woolsey  Hart  was  received  1742. 

John  Hart,  received  August  29,  1735.  Sarah,  his  wife,  received 
November  25,  1733. 

Joseph  Hart,  received  August  31,  1733.  Hannah,  his  wife, 
daughter  of  Justice  John  Phillips,  was  received  between  1750  and  1790. 

William  Hoff  had  three  descendants  ruling  elders  and  one  a 
deacon.     Sons,  Jacob,  Theodore  and  Andrew.     Daughter,  Katherine, 


-:»  Note. — His  children,  Mary,  John,  Reuben  and  Lydia,  were  born  in  England,  and 
with  the  exception  of  John,  are  known  to  have  settled  in  this  country. — Historical  Dis- 
course, 187G,  by  Dr.  Hale. 


13 

baptized  by  Rev.  Jedediah  Andrews,  1714,  9ra,  22d.  (Sarah,  daughter 
of  Andrew  Hoif,  married  Joseph  Hart.  Sarah  Elizabeth  Hart, 
daughter  of  Sarah  Hoif  and  Joseph  Hart,  married  John  Stout  Golden. 
In  this  line  has  descended  to  their  son  Joseph  Hart  Golden,  the  farm 
of  Andrew  Hoff.) 

Ralph  Hunt,  received  August  29, 1735.  Father  of  Charity,  wife 
of  Rev.  John  Guild,  and  of  Nathan,  ruling  elder.  He  was  also  great- 
grandfather of  Azariah  Hunt,  ruling  elder. 

Ephraim  Titus  (son  of  Silas  Titus  and  nephew  of  John),  an 
elder  in  this  church,  and  Mary  Armitage,  his  wife,  daughter  of  Enoch 
Armitage,  have  numerous  descendants  in  this  county. 

John  Titus,  ruling  elder,  and  Rebecca  his  wife,  from  whom 
fourteen  ruling  elders,  seven  deacons  and  two  ministers  of  the  gospel 
have  descended.* 

Sheriff  John  Muirheid,  ruling  elder,  and  Rebecca  Bailey  his 
wife.  All  the  eight  children  were  baptized  in  infancy.  He  died 
1725,  and  his  wife  in  1759. 

George  Woolsey  and  Hannah  his  wife.  The  grandfather  of 
Dr.  Jeremiah  Woolsey  and  the  great-grandfather  of  the  Hon.  George 
Woolsey  who  was  a  member  of  the  Governor's  Council,  also  deacon 
at  Pennington. 

Family  of  the  Rev.  John  Guild  : 

In  a  census  of  the  Rev.  John  Guild's  family  taken  in  1847,  it  was 
found  that  there  were,  or  had  been,  seventy-five  members  of  that 
family  in  the  communion  of  the  church,  nearly  all  of  them  Presby- 
terians,— six  children,  thirty  grandchildren,  thirty-eight  great-grand- 
children, and  one  great-great-grandchild.  Of  these  seventy-five,  thirty- 
eight  were,  or  had  been,  communicating  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  at  Pennington.     Seven  of  the  family  of  Mr,  Guild  have  been 

*  Note. — The  following  memorandum  was  made  by  Dr.  Hale,  probably  during  his 
pastorate.  "  There  are  more  families  in  this  congregation  and  township  descended  from 
this  John  Titus  than  from  any  other  man ;  certainly  there  are  more  than  sixty  families 
and  probably  a  still  greater  number  residing  elsewhere."  On  the  margin  of  the  page  is 
written,  "  Was  a  godly  man." — Editor. 


14 

ruling  elders,  three  have  been  pastors  of  Presbyterian  churches,  one 
died  preparing  for  the  ministry  and  four  married  Presbyterian  clergy- 
men. Many  of  these  have  departed  this  life.  From  the  time  that 
Charity  Hunt,  wife  of  the  Rev.  John  Guild,  was  admitted  to  the 
church  September  23, 1743,  until  the  present,  a  period  of  one  hundred 
and  forty-five  yearSj  representatives  of  the  Guild  family  have  never 
been  wanting  among  the  church  membership. 

Families  in  Pennington  Church  in  whom  the  Guild  blood  is 
represented  : 

Wilson  Hunt  (dec'd),  John  Stevenson  Hunt,  George  S.  Woolsey, 
Sackett  Moore  Hart,  Andrew  Titus  Atchley,  Vandyke  Blackwell, 
Wm.  Harrison  Muirheid,  Mrs.  Mary  Ann  Atchley,  Enoch  A.  Titus, 
David  G.  Baldwin,  William  B.  Muirheid,  John  G.  Muirheid,  Jr., 
William  B.  Curlis,  Theodore  Woolsey,  Dr.  Edward  L.  Welling, 
Samuel  B.  Ketcham,  Henry  Welling  Baldwin,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  M. 
Titus,  John  M.  Titus,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Wiley,  Daniel  C.  Titus,  Charles 
Atchley,  Livingston  Titus. 

The  following  individuals,  members  of  Pennington  Church,  are 
descended  from  the  Rev.  John  Guild  : 

John  Stevenson  Hunt,  Joshua  Jones  Hunt,  John  Guild  Hunt, 
Mrs.  Mary  P.  Hart,  Wm.  Harrison  Muirheid,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Hart 
Muirheid  (wife  of  W.  H.  Muirheid),  Miss  Sarah  Muirheid,  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  M.  Titus,  S.  Harry  Titus,  Charles  M.  Titus,  John  M.  Titus, 
John  G.  Muirheid,  Jr.,  Joseph  G.  Muirheid,  Elizabeth  Muirheid, 
Lilian  R.  Muirheid,  George  S.  Woolsey,  Charles  M.  Woolsey,  Miss 
Mary  Titus,  Mrs.  Ellen  V.  Baldwin,  Miss  Elizabeth  Baldwin,  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  Welling  Wiley,  Miss  Hannah  Wiley,  Miss  Lizzie  Wiley, 
Mrs.  Isabella  W.  Titus,  Mrs.  Hannah  Cooley  Ketcham,  Mrs.  Mary 
Ann  Atchley,  Mrs.  Anna  Welling  Curlis,  Miss  Mary  Curlis,  Miss 
Elizabeth  Blackwell  Titus,  Miss  Susan  Muirheid,  Andrew  Titus 
Atchley,  Charles  Atchley,  Mrs.  Anna  V.  C.  Atchley  Blackwell, 
Henry  Welling  Baldwin,  Livingston  Titus. 


15 

Ministers  descended  from  Mr.  Guild:  Rev.  John  G.  Howell, 
Rev.  Horatio  Howell,  Rev.  Jesse  L.  Howell,  Rev.  John  B.  Howell, 
missionary. 

Ruling  elders  descended  from  Mr.  Guild :  Major  John  Howell, 
John  Guild  Muirheid,  Sr.,  Wm.  Harrison  Muirheid,  Charles  Welling, 
Isaac  Welling,  John  Welling,  A.  Alexander  Howell. 

Wives  of  ministers  descended  from  Mr.  Guild:  Elizabeth  G. 
Moore,  Elizabeth  Dewey,  Cornelia  Miller,  Sarah  Maria  McCarer. 

The  following  are  descendants  of  the  Armitage  family  : 

Enoch  Armitage  Titus ;  Miss  Mary  Titus,  daughter  of  E.  A. 
Titus ;  Livingston  Titus ;  Miss  Elizabeth  Blackwell  Titus,  daughter 
of  L.  Titus ;  Daniel  C.  Titus ;  Rosalie  Titus,  wife  of  L.  P.  Black- 
well  and  daughter  of  D.  C.  Titus;  Reuben  Titus;  Mary  Ann  Titus, 
wife  of  Nathaniel  D.  Blackwell ;  Mrs.  Emma  Hill,  daughter  of  N.  D. 
and  Mary  Blackwell,  and  children  ;  Elizabeth  Clifford,  wife  of  Henry 
B.  Perriue,  and  family  ;  Mary  Clifford,  wife  of  Cornelius  V.  Howell, 
and  children  ;  Miss  Jane  Clifford  ;  Miss  Frances  E.  Phillips,  sister  ot 
Dr.  W.  W.  L.  Phillips,  of  Trenton ;  Miss  Sarah  Muirheid  ;  John  G. 
Muirheid,  Jr.;  Joseph  G.  Muirheid ;  Miss  Elizabeth  Muirheid  ;  Wil- 
liam Harrison  Muirheid  and  children ;  Mrs.  Elizabeth  M.  Titus ; 
John  M.  Titus;  S.  Harry  Titus;  Charley  Titus ;  Lilian  R.  Muirheid. 

The  name  of  Armitage  is  extinct.  Of  other  names  prominent 
in  the  early  history  of  Pennington  Church :  Archibald  Updike  and 
family  are  the  only  representatives  of  Andrew  and  Margaret  Morgan, 
through  his  grandmother  Mrs.  Updike,  who  was  a  Morgan  :  the  name 
has  died  out ;  Ella  Pittenger  is  the  only  representative  by  name  of 
the  Pittenger  family ;  the  name  of  Burrowes  has  died  out,  and 
the  only  representative  by  name  outside  of  the  congregation  is  the 
Rev.  George  Burrowes,  D.  D.,  of  San  Francisco,  Cal.;  Edward  Bur- 
rowes, son  of  the  original  settler,  married  Jane  Muirheid :  the  daughter 
by  that  marriage,  Catharine  Burrowes,  became  the  female  ancestor  of 


16 

all  the  Atchleys  in  the  county  by  her  marriage  with  Jesse  Atchley; 
the  Moore  name  is  also  lost  out  of  the  congregation,  but  the  marriage 
of  Aaron  Hart,  Sr.,  to  a  daughter  of  Amos  Moore,  has  given  to  all 
the  descendants  of  Aaron  Hart,  Sr.,  for  four  generations,  a  share  in 
the  Moore  blood. 

College  graduates  from  this  Congregation: 

Princeton,  1763. — Noah  Hart,  M.  D.,  son  of  Ralph  Hart  and 
Jemima  Woolsey,  daughter  of  Jeremiah  Woolsey,  Sr.  Dr.  Hart  was 
a  grandson  of  Major  Ralph  Hart,  first  settler. 

Princeton,    1787. — Jeremiah   Woolsey,   M.  D.,    son  of  Jeremiah 
Woolsey,  Sr.,  and  grandson  of  George  Woolsey,  first  settler. 

Princeton,  1828. — Henry  Perrine  Welling,  M.  D. 

Princeton,  1839. — Isaac  Watts  Welling  (farmer). 

Princeton,  1844. — William  W.  McNair,  Rev. 

Princeton,  1844. — Noah  Hunt  Schenck,  D.  D.,  Rev. 

Princeton,  1846.— A.  A.  Higgins,  M.  D. 

Princeton,  1846. — William  Howe  (banker). 

Princeton,  1846. — Samuel  H.  Titus  (druggist). 

Lafayette,  1847. — Jesse  L.  Howell,  Rev. 

Lafayette,  1850.— Israel  Hart,  M.  D, 

University  of  Michigan,  1853. — Thomas  Spencer  Ogden,  Rev. 

Princeton,  1856  — Henry  Harrison  Woolsey  (lawyer). 

Princeton,  1857. — Edward  Livingston  Welling,  M.  D. 

Williams,  1865.— George  Hale,  Jr.,  M.  D. 

Princeton,  1870. — Asher  B.  Temple,  Rev. 

Williams,  1874. — Arthur  Hale  (banker). 

Princeton,  1877.— Willis  B.  Skillraan,  Rev. 

Lafayette,  1880.— J.  Smith  Hart  (sec'y). 

Princeton,  1883.— Hartley  T.  Updike,  Rev. 

Princeton,  1884. — Alvin  Black  well,  Rev. 

To  these  should  properly  be  added  the  name  of  the  Rev.  William 
Robinson,  in  fact,  holding  the  first  place  on  the  list.     Though  not 


17 

a  college  graduate,  he  was  a  self-made,  well  educated  man.  This  will 
make  the  number  twenty-two,  namely  :  one  lawyer,  one  secretary,  one 
farmer,  two  bankers,  one  druggist,  seven  doctors  of  medicine,  and 
nine  ministers  of  the  gospel. 

Clergymen  who  have  gone  out  from  Pennington  Church  : 
In  a  list  of  the  earliest  members  is  found  the  following  entry : 
William  Robinson.  The  name  of  this  William  Robinson  is 
appended  to  a  deed  dated  the  2d  of  November,  1729,  containing  a 
release  by  Thomas  Reed  to  Nathaniel  Moore,  of  land  below  Penning- 
ton, to  this  day  in  possession  of  Mr.  Moore's  descendants.  Mr. 
Robinson  w\as  at  that  time  a  teacher  in  Pennington.  "He  was 
received  under  the  care  of  the  New  Brunswick  Presbytery  on  the 
1st  of  April,  1740,  and  on  the  27th  of  May  following  was  licensed 
to  preach  the  gospel.  On  the  4th  of  August,  1741,  he  was  ordained 
at  New  Brunswick  sine  iitulo."  {Sprague's  Annals  of  the  American 
Pulpit,  vol.  3,  p.  93.)  About  to  be  installed  at  St.  George's,  Delaware, 
in  April,  1746,  he  died.  He  finished  a  career  of  less  than  five  years 
as  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  being  the  first  minister  provided  for 
the  Church  by  the  Hopewell  congregation.  Dr.  Alexander  said  : 
"  Probably  Mr.  Robinson,  during  the  short  period  of  his  life,  was  the 
instrument  of  the  conversion  of  as  many  souls  as  any  minister  who 
ever  lived  in  this  country." 

Rev.  William  W.  McNair. 
Rev.  Thomas  Spencer  Ogden. 
Rev.  Jesse  L.  Howell. 
Rev.  Asher  B.  Temple. 
Rev.  D.  Willis  Skillman. 
Rev.  Hartley  T.  Updike. 
Rev.  Alvin  Blackwell. 

Dr.  Hale  preached  at  the  ordinations  of  Mr.  McNair  and  Mr. 
Ogden,  and  presided  at  the  ordination  of  Mr.  Updike  and  made  the 
ordaining  prayer. 


18 

Pennington  Congregation  has  furnished  the  following  wives  for 
ministers : 

Emily  S.  Ogden  married  the  Rev.  James  Greer. 
Catherine  S.  Ogden  married  the  Rev.  J.  G.  Reicheldaffer. 
Charity  Dunn  married  the  Rev.  William  W.  McNair. 
Henrietta  W.  Ketcham  married  the  Rev.  Ludlow  D.  Potter. 
Elizabeth  Moore  married  the  Rev.  William  J.  Blythe. 
Maria  Higgins  married  Rev.  Peter  Dougherty. 

A  number  of  Elders  have  been  furnished  to  other  churches,  viz.: 

To  First  Church,  Cranberry, — Enos  Baldwin,  Israel  Baldwin. 

To  Titusville  Church, — Edmund  Roberts,  Joseph  Titus,  Theophi- 
lus  Hunt,  Theodore  Hunt,  Wilson  Atchley,  John  Guild  Titus,  Theo- 
dore Hoff,  Isaac  Farley,  John  Welling,  Charles  T.  Hunt. 

To  First  Church,  Trenton, — Daniel  G.  Howell. 

To  Freehold  Church, — Woolsey  Baldwin. 

To  Fourth  Church,  Trenton, — Nathaniel  R.  Titus. 

To  First  Church,  Princeton, — John  Y.  Terhune. 

To  Second  Church,  Princeton, — Nathaniel  H.  Titus. 

To  Hamilton  Square, — George  R.  Cook. 

To  Third  Church,  Trenton, — Joseph  A.  Pitteuger. 

To  Kirkpatrick  Memorial, — Jacob  Dilts. 

In  New  York  State, — Benjamin  S.  Holt. 

Marengo,  Illinois, — William  J.  Titus. 

To  Second  Church,  Amwell, — Joseph  Landis  Quick. 

To  Hopewell  Church, — Ralph  Ege. 

To  Second  Ref.  Dutch  Church,  Philadelphia,— De  Witt  C.  Moore. 

To  Lambertville  Church, — T.  Quick  Phillips,  Lewis  J.  Titus. 

The  families  mentioned  below  hold  the  farms  that  were  held  by 
their  families  fifty  years  ago  : 

Levi  T.  Atchley,  Henry  Blackwell,  Armitage  Blackwell,  Anna 
Maria  Burroughs  (daughter  of  Joseph),  Thomas  B.  Cook,  Moses 
Stout  Drake,  John  H.  Drake,    John  O.  Ege,    Joseph  H.  Golden,   S. 


19 

Moore  Hart,  John  S.  Hunt,  Louisa  Ivetcluim,  Samuel  B.  Ketchara, 
William  C.  Lewis,  William  Pitt  Manners,  William  Harrison  Muir- 
heid,  Reuben  Titus,  Wilson  Hunt,  dec'd  (family  of),  Theodore  Wool- 
sey,  Charles  T.  Blackwell,  heirs  of  John  Conrad. 

On  entering  upon  his  work,  the  young  pastor,  after  consultation 
with  that  godly  woman,  wife  of  the  Eev.  Benjamin  Ogden,  resolved 
to  commence  a  series  of  cottage  prayer  meetings,  going  from  house  to 
house,  as  invitations  might  be  received.  The  first  meeting  was  at  the 
house  of  Mrs.  Ogden,  and  similar  meetings  continued  to  be  held  fre- 
quently for  thirty  years  without  interruption.  This  plan  was  an  ad- 
vantage to  the  little  children,  a  comfort  to  the  bed-ridden,  to  the  aged 
and  to  mothers  overwhelmed  with  domestic  cares,  and  carried  with  it 
a  blessing  wherever  it  went. 

There  were  t^vo  occasions  during  my  ministry  when  religious 
meetings  of  more  than  ordinary  interest  were  held.  The  place  of  the 
one  was  Pleasant  Valley,  on  the  north  side,  flicing  the  south,  at  the 
farm-house  of  Margaret,  the  widow  of  Elisha  Hunt.  It  was  in  the 
middle  of  the  month  of  February ;  the  house  was  about  one  mile  dis- 
tant from  the  public  road ;  the  night  was  cloudy,  therefore  moonless 
and  starless,  and  the  roads  were  such  that  the  only  vehicle  used  that 
night  was  a  large  farm  wagon  drawn  by  oxen.  Yet  the  people  of 
the  neighborhood  were  all  there.  A  story-and-a-half  house  supplied 
parlor,  dining-room  and  kitchen.  The  audience  was  early  assembled 
on  tlie  ground.  When  the  pastor  saw  that  twenty-three  young  con- 
verts were  present  who  had  never  yet  opened  their  lips  in  public 
prayer,  he  conceived  the  thought  of  calling  upon  every  one  of  them, 
in  groups  of  three,  to  j^ray.  A  very  short  sermon,  an  occasional  verse 
sung,  now  and  then  a  prayer,  a  brief  intervening  remark  of  the  pas- 
tor, occupied  more  than  two  hours  of  that  evening.  The  company 
would  readily  have  remained  all  night,  for  they  said  one  to  another, 
"  It  is  good  to  be  here." 

The  other  occasion  was  in  the  month  of  January,  1846,  during  the 
revival  which  gave  to  this  church,  first  as  a  communicant  and  after- 


20 

wards  as  an  elder,  that  precious  man,  John  Ellis  Bnrd ;  also  his  wife. 
Saturday  night  there  fell  a  heavy  snow-storm.  Through  wind  and 
snow  the  highways  and  byways  were  nearly  impassable;  nevertheless 
the  faithful  sexton  built  two  large  fires  in  the  huge  ten-plate  stoves  on 
each  side  of  the  pulpit ;  and  there  gathered  twenty-five  men,  commu- 
nicants and  young  converts,  who  spent  between  two  and  three  hours 
in  the  midst  of  the  howling  storm,  in  conference,  singing  and  prayer. 
Surely  this  was  "  none  other  but  the  house  of  God  and  this  the  gate 
of  heaven."  It  was  familiarly  said  for  weeks  afterward  that  this 
storm  was  the  only  one  that  was  known  to  prevent  that  faithful  ruling 
elder,  Aaron  Hart,  Sr.,  from  coming  three  miles  to  the  Sabbath 
morning  service. 

A  regular  system  of  pastoral  visitation  was  adopted,  to  which  Mon- 
day and  Tuesday  of  the  week  were  generally  devoted.  As  JNIonday 
and  Tuesday  were  busy  days,  there  was  a  mutual  understanding  that 
the  coming  of  the  pastor  should  not  interfere  with  the  duties  of  the 
household.  In  addition  to  this  pastoral  visitation,  frequently  the 
second  day  was  closed  by  a  preaching  service  at  a  private  house  in  the 
neighborhood,  previously  visited.  Thus,  from  time  to  time,  were 
many  religious  services  held,  with  manifest  interest  and  profit  to  the 
people. 

In  the  meantime,  the  children  were  not  neglected  at  the  Sabbath- 
school  on  Sunday  morning;  and,  in  a  few  years.  Sabbath-schools 
were  established  at  Titusville,  Harbourtown,  Woodsville,  Hopewell, 
Marshall's  Corner,  Mount  Rose,  Centreville  and  Federal  City.  When 
the  number  of  services  in  the  congregation  was  increased  to  three  it 
was  the  practice  of  the  pastor  during  the  summer  season,  in  due  order, 
according  to  previous  appointment,  to  hold  the  afternoon  service 
wherever  there  was  a  Sabbath-school.  For  committing  to  memory 
the  Shorter  Catechism  of  the  Westminster  Assembly,  at  first  it  was 
customary  to  give  a  hymn  book  as  a  reward ;  later,  a  copy  of  the 
Bible,  and  to  the  little  ones  who  learned  the  Child's  Catechism, 
a  copy  of  the  New  Testament,  These  were  ordinarily  distributed  at 
the  mid-summer  Sabbath  School  Anniversary  held  in  the  woods. 


21 

The  main  reliance  in  the  prosecution  of  this  work  was  the  stated 
preaching  of  the  gospel.  Following  the  advice  of  Dr.  Miller,  the 
pastor  adopted  the  practice,  as  far  as  possible,  of  writing  out  one  ser- 
mon every  week  for  the  Sabbath  morning  service.  All  the  other  ser- 
vices, whether  for  funerals  or  otherwise,  were  attended  after  preparation 
either  with  or  without  pen,  as  the  necessities  of  the  case  called  for.  In 
the  general  religious  work  no  special  system  of  measures,  or  modern 
methods  of  carrying  forward  revivals,  was  attempted.  When  aid  was 
demanded  the  pastors  in  the  immediate  vicinity  were  ready  to  give 
their  services.  Thus  pastors  and  churches  w^ere  bound  together  more 
and  more  closely. 

The  first  season  of  religious  interest  was  in  the  winter  of  1840 ;  the 
second,  one  of  much  greater  power,  which  moved  the  whole  township, 
was  early  in  1842.  As  the  fruit,  one  hundred  and  twelve  persons,  in 
March  of  that  year,  stood  up  at  the  same  moment  and  entered  publicly 
into  covenant  with  God,  eighty  of  whomi  were  baptized  in  the  presence 
of  the  congregation.  Twenty-three  were  added  to  the  church  after- 
wards, the  Rev.  Dr.  P.  O.  Studdiford  aiding  in  this  work. 

The  next  outpouring  of  the  Holy  Spirit  was  in  1846,  when  the 
Rev.  Robert  Hamill,  D.  D.,  wrought  shoulder  to  shoulder  w^ith  the 
pastor,  preaching  and  visiting  from  house  to  house  until  sixty  had  been 
received  into  the  communion  of  the  church.  There  were  several  pre- 
cious seasons  which  intervened  between  this  and  a  more  powerful  work 
of  grace  in  the  year  1858,  when  the  pastor  was  aided  by  the  Rev.  Wm. 
C.  Roberts,  D.  D.,  now  of  Lake  Forest  University.  As  the  fruit  of 
that  revival  fifty-six  united  with  the  church. 

As  time  passed  on,  God  graciously  manifested  His  presence  by 
occasional  accessions  to  the  communion  of  the  church  until  the  time 
arrived  when  the  providence  of  God  called  for  the  dissolution  of  the 
pastoral  relation.  INIany  reasons  for  that  change  were  well  understood, 
but  touched  neither  the  affection  of  the  people  for  the  pastor,  nor  the 
affection  of  the  pastor  for  the  people.  Some  of  tliese  reasons  will  be 
best  known  at  the  Judgment  Seat  of  Christ.     The  experience  and  ob- 


22 

servatlon  of  nineteen  years  have  confirmed  the  probable  justness  of 
that  decision,  for,  as  yet,  no  ground  has  presented  itself  for  a  change 
of  opinion  as  to  this  separation  and  the  pastor's  entrance  in  a  new  field 
of  labor.  His  tender  love  for  that  people,  also  their  tender  love  for 
their  minister,  has  continued  to  the  present  hour. 

In  due  time,  the  undesirableness  of  a  church  without  a  pastor 
became  manifest.  The  Lord  in  His  kindness  sent  a  faithful  servant  to 
cultivate  His  field.  By  the  time  of  the  opening  of  the  Presbytery,  in 
April,  1871,  the  Rev.  Daniel  R.  Foster  had  gathered  a  harvest  of 
seventy-one  souls,  and  this  offering  was  brought  as  the  reason  why  he 
was  qualified  to  be  the  pastor  of  this  flock,  and  within  a  few  weeks  he 
was  duly  installed  as  pastor  of  Pennington  Church.  With  a  spirit  of 
self-abnegation,  with  a  complimentary  allusion  to  the  personal  interest 
of  the  ex-pastor  in  that  work,  the  pastor-elect  welcomed  him  wdth  these 
words  of  our  Saviour,  "  And  so  it  is  written,  one  man  soweth  and 
another  reapeth."  If  there  is  any  kind  act,  any  Christian  affection, 
sympathy  or  aid,  these  were  none  of  them  wanting  toward  his  pre- 
decessor by  the  Rev.  Daniel  R.  Foster  throughout  his  ministry  at 
Pennington.  He  was  earnest,  diligent,  untiring,  profoundly  sincere, 
self-sacrificing  and  successful,  and  his  work  praises  him. 

It  remains  for  us  to  invoke  upon  the  present  pastor  of  this  flock 
and  the  people  of  his  charge,  the  richest  benedictions  of  Heaven. 
Here  may  prayers  ascend  and  blessings  descend,  sacramental  seasons 
be  held,  and  sweet  communion  be  enjoyed  with  the  invisible  Church 
of  the  Redeemed ;  and  when  this  pastor's  work  is  done,  may  he 
receive  a  crown  of  glory  that  fadeth  not  away. 

Brethren,  permit  a  word  of  exhortation.  First,  forget  not  to 
submit  trustfully  to  all  the  afilictive  dispensations  of  God's  provi- 
dence. "  Happy  is  the  man  whom  God  correcteth."  As  a  nation, 
we  have  been  visited  with  two  terrific  wars,  but  God  has  carried  us 
through;  as  a  church,  you  saw  your  beautiful  house  laid  waste  with 
fire ;  as  families  and  individuals,  you  have  been  visited  with  various 
afflictions,  but  God,  true  to  His  promises,  has  made  "  all  things  work 


23 

together  for  good.''  Second,  jfix  your  mind  habitually  upon  the 
high  value  of  God's  various  gifts,  and  seek  to  appreciate  them 
more  and  more.  Third,  let  sincere  gratitude,  thanksgiving  and  praise 
characterize  the  whole  period  of  your  life  through  all  its  changes,  for 
God  has  said  :  "  Whoso  offereth  praise  glorifieth  me ;  "  "  In  every- 
thing give  thanks,  for  this  is  the  will  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus 
concerning  you."  Fourth,  consecrate  all  your  possessions,  your 
affections  and  your  powers  to  the  service  of  the  only  living  and  true 
God,  for  time  and  for  eternity  ;  and  while  you  abide  on  earth,  let  it  be 
your  joy  to  lead  souls  to  heaven,  and  your  chief  delight  to  work  with 
Him  and  for  Him  who  died  to  redeem  you.  "  Seek  ye  first  the 
kingdom  of  God.'' 

And  now,  brethren,  what  is  our  hope,  or  joy,  or  crown  of  rejoicing  ? 
Are  not  even  ye  in  the  presence  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  at  his 
coming  ? 

Be  perfect,  be  of  good  comfort,  be  of  one  mind,  live  in  peace  ; 
and  the  God  of  peace  shall  be  with  you.  And  now,  brethren,  I 
commend  you  to  God,  and  to  the  word  of  His  grace,  which  is  able  to 
build  you  up,  and  to  give  you  an  inheritance  among  all  them  that  are 
sanctified,  through  the  faith  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus.     Amen. 

Now  the  God  of  peace,  that  brought  again  from  the  dead  our  Lord 
Jesus,  that  great  Shepherd  of  the  sheep,  through  the  blood  of  the 
everlasting  covenant,  make  you  perfect  in  every  good  work  to  do  His 
will,  working  in  you  that  which  is  well-pleasing  in  His  sight,  through 
Jesus  Christ,  to  whom  be  glory  for  ever  and  ever.     Amen. 


ADDEESS 

BY   THE 

Rev.  SAMUEL  M.  HAMILL,  D.  D., 

AT  THE 

OF   THE 

EEV.  GEOEGE  HALE,  D.D-, 

NOVEMBER   ISth,  1888. 


Dear  Brethren, — We  have  assembled  to  pay  the  last  tribute  of 
respect  and  afFectiou  to  a  beloved  brother  whose  record  is  on  high. 
While  we  mourn  his  loss  "  we  sorrow  not  as  others  which  have  no 
hope,"  (1  Thess.  iv.  13).  "  For  if  we  believe  that  Jesus  died  and  rose 
again,  even  so,  them  also  which  sleep  in  Jesus  will  God  bring  with 
him,"  (1  Thess.  iv.  14). 

A  letter  received  this  morning  from  one  who  knew  him  well,  says : 
"  I  did  not  know  how  much  I  loved  Dr.  Hale.  I  feel  as  if  I  had  lost 
a  member  of  our  own  family."  He  was  dear  to  us  all.  He  was  a 
godly  man.  The  lives  of  godly  men  are  no  unimportant  part  of  the 
church's  heritage.    A  brief  sketch  of  his  useful  life  will  be  appropriate. 

Kev.  George  Hale,  D.  D.,  was  born  in  Catskill,  New  York,  on  the 
8th  of  June,  1812.     He  was  a  son  of  devoted  Christian  parents.    This 

25 


26 

itself  was  a  rich  inheritance  whether  for  this  world  or  the  world  to 
come. 

Having  completed  the  preparatory  course  of  study,  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  Williams  College,  Massachusetts,  from  which  institution  he 
received  his  diploma  as  Bachelor  of  Arts,  in  the  year  1831.  He  was 
subsequently  a  tutor  in  the  college  for  two  years.  He  entered  the 
Theological  Seminary  at  Princeton,  and  completed  the  full  three  years' 
course. 

Among  his  classmates  were  Rev.  Doctors  Comingo,  Dale,  Elliot, 
Willis  Lord  and  William  A.  Scott,  all  well  known  ministers  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church. 

In  1836  he  was  licensed  to  preach  the  Gospel  by  Columbia  Pres- 
bytery. On  November  19,  1838,  he  preached  his  first  sermon  to  this 
congregation  witli  the  view  of  becoming  its  pastor.  The  coming  Sab- 
bath will  be  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  that  event.  Having  received 
a  call  from  this  congregation  he  M'as  ordained  by  the  Presbytery  of 
New  Brunswick,  and  installed  as  your  pastor  on  the  7th  day  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1839.  In  this  large  and  interesting  field  he  continued  his 
ministerial  work  for  a  period  of  thirty  years.  You  can  testify  to  his 
faithful  discharge  of  duty.  He  labored  in  season  and  out  of  season. 
The  Lord  blessed  him  in  his  work.  In  the  winter  of  1841  and  1842 
a  powerful  revival  brought  into  the  church  132  members.  In  1847 
and  1848  about  sixty  more  were  added  to  the  roll  of  members,  and  in 
1857  and  1858  fifty-six  more  on  confession  of  their  faith.  These  were 
special  periods.  But  there  was  a  continuous  growth  during  Dr.  Hale's 
ministry,  not  only  in  numbers,  but  in  the  graces  that  adorn  and  invig- 
orate and  strengthen  a  church.  He  entered  into  the  work  of  the 
ministry  with  all  his  heart.  He  was  devoted  to  the  service  of  the 
Master.     His  meat  and  drink  was  to  do  the  will  of  Him  who  sent  him. 

As  a  Pastor — Dr.  Hale  was  kind,  aifectionate,  discreet  and  wise. 
He  carefully  studied  the  character  of  his  people.  He  knew  them  well. 
He  prudently  adapted  himself  to  the  circumstances  that  surrounded 
him,  and  in  a  remarkable  degree  won  the  esteem,  and  confidence,  and 


27 

love  of  this  people,  and  the  respect  of  the  community.  He  was  a  fre- 
quent, welcome  visitor  in  the  homes  of  this  congregation;  old  and 
young  had  a  place  in  his  warm  heart.  The  pleasant  smile,  cheerful 
grasp  of  the  hand  and  cordial  greeting  made  every  one  feel  at  ease 
with  him. 

In  times  of  affliction,  in  the  sick  chamber  when  anguish  filled  the 
bosom  of  weeping  friends,  he  was  especially  happy  in  his  words  of 
comfort.  He  sympathized  with  the  sorrowing.  He  had  a  fellow- 
feeling  for  those  who  suflPered.  His  very  tones  of  voice  were  con- 
soling. What  relief  he  brought  to  those  who  were  in  deep  distress! 
The  mourning  one  felt  the  inspiration  of  his  presence.  His  words, 
his  prayers,  his  sympathy,  his  judicious  advice  rolled  the  burden  from 
many  a  sorrowing  heart,  overwhelmed  with  grief. 

A  beloved  brother  in  the  ministry  who  has  been  a  successful 
pastor,  who,  as  a  licentiate  labored  here  in  the  revival  of  1846  and 
1847,  said  he  learned  much  from  Dr.  Hale,  as  he  went  with  him  from 
house  to  house  over  the  hills  and  valleys  of  this  large  congregation, 
conversing  with  individuals  by  day,  and  at  the  evening  services  press- 
ing home  the  truth  upon  their  consciences.  He  was  deeply  impressed 
with  the  earnestness,  fervor  and  devotion  which  the  Doctor  manifested 
in  his  ministerial  work.     He  was  truly  a  model  pastor. 

As  a  Preacher — Dr.  Hale  was  able,  forcible,  earnest  and  always 
acceptable.  His  themes  were  well  chosen.  He  brought  forth  things 
new  and  old.  His  presentations  were  clear  and  pointed.  His  sermons 
were  both  textual  and  expository.  He  was  direct  and  effective.  "While 
he  aimed  to  reach  the  intellect  and  instruct  his  hearers,  he  did  not 
forget  that  men  were  emotional  and  that  the  heart  must  also  be 
reached,  as  out  of  it  are  the  issues  of  life.  His  strongest  appeals  were 
therefore  to  the  heart.  His  utterances  from  the  sacred  desk  to  this 
people,  whom  he  greatly  loved,  and  to  whom  he  gave  the  service  of 
his  best  days,  will  be  long  remembered.  Parents  and  children  and 
children's  children,  will  not  soon  forget  the  words  he  spoke.  They 
will  be  treasured  up  as  precious  remembrances  of  a  beloved  Pastor. 


28 

His  Historical  Discourse  delivered  here  in  1876,  was  a  most  valuable 
contribution  to  the  history  of  this  church,  and  of  this  section  of  the 
State.  He  was  a  ready  writer.  His  style  was  easy  and  flowing.  He 
wrote  many  articles  for  the  religious  press. 

In  his  theological  views  he  was  sound  and  thorough.  He  kept 
abreast  with  the  times,  but  never  drifted  into  isms.  He  had  been  care- 
fully trained  in  early  life,  and  like  Timothy  was  from  his  youth  raised 
in  the  scriptures.  He  accepted  them,  the  testimonies  of  the  Lord,  as 
his  counsellors  when  young  and  consecrated  himself  in  early  life  to 
the  service  of  God.  Like  the  Great  Hebrew  Prophet  when  called  in 
youth,  he  said,  "  Speak  Lord,  for  thy  servant  heareth." 

When  in  the  Theological  Seminary  he  enjoyed  the  privilege  of  the 
instruction  of  those  illustrious  teachers,  Rev.  Doctors  Archibald 
Alexander,  Samuel  Miller  and  Charles  Hodge,  who  at  the  time  were 
the  pride  of  Princeton  and  of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  He  was  an 
admirer  of  Jonathan  Dickinson,  and  often  quoted  him,  of  whom  Dr. 
Hatfield  wrote  that  he  was  the  greatest  theologian  of  his  age.  Moses 
Dickinson,  a  brother  of  the  distinguished  theologian,  was  the  second 
settled  pastor  of  this  church.  Dr.  Hale  kept  up  his  habits  of  appli- 
cation. He  was  studious  and  scholarly.  For  a  number  of  years  he 
was  a  successful  teacher,  and  would  have  distinguished  himself  in  that 
sphere. 

He  was  an  ardent  patriot.  When  our  country  was  struggling  for  its 
very  life,  his  voice  was  heard  in  the  pulpit  and  on  the  platform,  plead- 
ing for  the  Union,  with  no  uncertain  sound.  After  the  battle  of 
Gettysburg,  he  went  to  the  field  of  carnage  under  the  auspices  of  the 
Christian  Commission,  volunteering  his  services  to  do  all  in  his  power 
to  ameliorate  the  condition  of  the  wounded,  suffering  and  dying 
soldiers,  and  to  extend  to  them  the  consolations  of  the  Gospel. 

The  cause  of  Temperance,  of  the  Bible  and  of  the  Sabbath-school 
secured  his  cheerful  support.  He  was  ever  ready  for  every  good  word 
and  work.  Whatever  promoted  the  good  of  man  and  the  glory  of  God 
had  attractions  for  him  and  was  sure  to  enlist  his  interest. 


29 


As  a  Presbyter — Dr.  Hale  was  always  in  his  place,  and  always 
ready  to  take  his  part  in  whatever  duty  was  assigned  to  him.  He  was 
warmly  attached  to  his  ministerial  brethren  (especially  of  New  Bruns- 
wick Presbytery),  and  they  were  equally  attached  to  him.  We  all 
loved  hira  and  rejoiced  to  see  his  beaming  face  and  to  hear  his  cheerful 
voice.     He  was  a  genial  companion,  a  constant,  faithful  and  true  friend. 

In  the  year  1861,  Dr.  Hale  was  elected  a  Trustee  of  the  Princeton 
Theological  Seminary.  He  was  an  efficient  and  valuable  member  of 
that  Board,  and  continued  in  that  relation  until  his  death.  From 
1863  to  1879  he  was  its  faithful  and  honored  secretary. 

For  twelve  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Board  of 
Publication,  and  for  about  the  same  length  of  time  of  the  Presbyterian 
Board  of  Education.  La  Fayette  College  conferred  on  Dr.  Hale  the 
title  of  Doctor  of  Divinity,  an  honor  richly  merited  and  most  appro- 
priately given. 

When  Dr.  Joseph  Jones,  the  Secretary  of  the  Board  of  Relief  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  was  called  to  his  reward,  the  Board  chose 
Dr.  Hale  as  his  successor.  He  resigned  his  pastoral  charge,  and  ac- 
cepted the  appointment.  He  left  a  people  who  were  devoted  to  him,  to 
assume  new  and  heavy  responsibilities  in  the  care  of  one  of  our  most 
important  ecclesiastical  agencies.  He  entered  this  field  with  great  zeal 
and  exhibited  much  executive  and  administrative  ability  in  its  man- 
agement and  control.  His  earnest,  able  and  telling  appeals  to  the 
Churches,  Presbyteries,  Synods  and  before  the  General  Assembly, 
awakened  a  new  interest  in  this  cause  and  brought  it  into  much  greater 
prominence.  In  this  important  field  he  labored  with  unwearied  faith- 
fulness and  success  for  seventeen  years.  His  large  heart  swelled  with 
deep  emotion  and  often  found  vent  in  tears  when  appeals  came  to  him 
from  those  in  the  ministry  who  had  faithfully  toiled  through  an  active 
and  useful  life  for  the  good  of  others,  and  were  broken  down  in  health 
or  laid  aside,  penniless,  in  old  age,  dependent  on  the  charities  of  the 
church  for  a  meagre  support.  His  strong  sympathy  in  these  cases  was 
such  that  he  not  infrequently  left  his  office  with  a  feeling  of  sadness 


30 

that  he  could  do  no  more  to  alleviate  their  suffering  condition.  Min- 
isters in  failing  health  and  in  indigent  circumstances,  and  the  widows 
and  orphans  of  ministers  in  such  circumstances,  found  an  ardent  friend 
in  Dr.  Hale.  The  heavy  strain  upon  him,  and  failing  health  rendered 
a  period  of  rest  desirable,  and  he  gracefully  resigned  his  office. 

After  his  retirement  from  the  arduous  labors  of  the  Board  of  Relief 
he  rendered  valuable  aid  and  counsel  to  his  successor.  Rev.  Dr.  Cattell, 
and  as  his  health  allowed,  he  preached  in  various  churches  with  great 
acceptance.  He  was  at  home  in  the  pulpit  and  loved  to  preach  the 
Gospel. 

A  little  more  than  a  month  ago  Dr.  Hale  made  the  closing  address 
at  the  150th  Anniversary  of  the  Presbytery  of  New  Brunswick,  at  its 
October  sessions  in  Lawrenceville. 

He  exhibited  a  degree  of  pathos,  and  poAver,  and  familiarity  with 
the  history  of  the  church  that  greatly  pleased  and  delighted  his  audi- 
ence, and  seemed  to  give  promise  to  him  of  many  days.  In  that  im- 
pressive and  touching  address  he  stated  that  just  fifty  years  ago  from 
that  day  he  had  been  admitted  a  member  of  the  Presbytery  of  New 
Brunswick.  What  a  grand  service  he  had  given  in  those  fifty  years, 
first  to  this  congregation,  to  whom  he  came  in  the  dew  of  his  youth, 
and  then  in  his  riper  years  to  the  church  at  large  by  his  masterly 
management  of  the  difficult  and  delicate  interests  of  the  Board  of 
Relief. 

There  was  a  nobleness  of  character  in  our  deceased  brother  that 
commanded  our  admiration.  We  mourn  this  day  that  we  shall  see 
his  face  no  more.  The  voice  we  heard  so  often  giving  utterance  to 
wise  counsels,  is  silent.  The  lustrous  eye  is  closed.  In  our  ministerial 
meetings  where  he  was  so  constant  an  attendant  we  shall  welcome  him 
no  more.  The  light  of  his  earthly  house  has  been  extinguished. 
The  mother  and  children  miss  from  his  accustomed  place  a  devoted 
husband  and  a  beloved  father ;  an  elder  sister  will  see  no  more  one 
who  was  the  charm  of  her  life.  Our  tenderest  sympathies  are  with 
them  in  this  hour  of  sorrow.     Shepherd  of  Israel,  we  commend  them 


31 

to  Thee !     Oh,  Thou  who  leadest  Joseph  like  a  flock,  send  consolation 
to  this  smitten  household. 

Our  brother  has  gone  !    Gone  to  his  reward  !    To  take  his  place  in 
the  upper  sanctuary  !    To  dwell  forever  with  the  Lord! 

"Thou  art  gone  to  the  grave,  but  we  will  not  deplore  thee, 
Though  sorrow  and  darkness  encompass  the  tomb. 
The  Saviour  has  passed  through  its  portals  before  thee, 
And  the  lamp  of  His  love  is  thy  guide  through  the  gloom." 


FUNERAL  SERVICES  OF  REV.  DR.  GEORGE  HALE. 


WITH   AN   ACCOUNT   OF  THE 

MEMOEIAL  SERYIOES 

HELD   ON   THE 

FIFTIETH  ANNIVERSARY  OF  HIS  PASTORATE  OF 
PENNINGTON  CHURCH. 


[From  The  Presbtteky,  Trenton,  N.  J.,  December  6,  1888.] 

The  last  issue  of  The  Presbytery  gave  a  short  account  of  the 
death  of  Rev.  Geo.  Hale,  D.  D.,  together  with  an  announcement  of  a 
memorial  service  to  be  held  in  his  old  Church  at  Pennington. 

The  funeral,  which  was  held  on  Thursday,  November  15th,  was 
largely  attended,  despite  the  storm  which  prevailed.  The  church  edifice 
was  very  tastefully  draped  in  black  by  loving  and  reverent  hands,  the 
six  ruling  elders  acting  as  bearers  of  the  'casket. 

The  exercises  were  opened  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Murphy,  of  Frankford, 
Pa.,  who  read  the  335th  hymn,  which  was  sung  by  the  choir.  Rev» 
David  Wills,  Jr.,  the  pastor,  then  read  the  Scriptures,  and  Rev.  Dr. 
Gosman,  of  Lawrencevillc,  made  tlie  opening  prayer. 

The  Rev.  Thomas  Hanlon,  D.  D.,  of  Pennington  Seminary,  read 
the  312th  hymn,  which  was  sung  as  a  solo  by  Miss  Gaskill,  of  that 
institution,  with  great  tenderness  and  sweetness. 

The  sermon  was  preached  by  Rev.  S.  M.  Hamill,  D.  D.,  of  Law- 
rencevillc, from  the  text,  "  For  we  mourn  not  as  those  without  hope." 

33 


34 

Rev.  Dr.  Cattell,  who  succeeded  Dr.  Hale  as  Secretary  of  the  Board 
of  Ministerial  Relief,  delivered  quite  an  extended  and  touching  address. 

Prayer  was  then  offered  by  Rev.  Dr.  Knox,  of  Lafayette  College, 
after  which  Rev.  S.  M.  Studdiford,  D.  D.,  read  hymn  786,  which  was 
sung  by  the  choir. 

Benediction  was  then  pronounced  by  Rev.  S.  M.  Hamill,  D.  D.  The 
casket  was  then  opened  and  the  calm  face  was  viewed  by  the  large 
congregation  by  whom  he  was  so  much  honored  and  beloved. 

Rev.  D.  R,  Foster,  of  Trenton,  Dr.  Hale's  successor  in  the  past- 
orate of  Pennington  Church,  made  the  closing  invocation,  and  pro- 
nounced the  benediction  at  the  grave.  There  were  also  present  Rev. 
Mr.  Johnson,  formerly  of  Hopewell,  Rev.  Mr.  Brooks,  of  Trenton 
Prospect  Street  Church,  and  Rev.  C.  S.  Vancleve,  of  Pennington. 
Thus  was  laid  away  a  great  man,  a  beloved  former  pastor,  a  true 
patriot,  a  firm  friend,  a  man  of  God. 

And  not  of  less  interest  to  the  congregation  at  Pennington  were  the 
services  on  Sunday,  November  18th,  Mdien  memorial  services  were  held. 
The  day  was  perfect,  and  the  congregation  very  large  when  the  pastor 
read  from  manuscript  a  sermon  written  by  Dr.  Hale,  which  was  to 
have  been  delivered  by  himself  in  celebration  of  the  fiftieth  anniversary 
of  his  pastorate,  on  that  very  day.  The  text  was,  "Having  therefore 
obtained  help  of  God,  I  continue  to  this  day." 

It  was  truly  his  benediction  to  this  people,  for  besides  its  great 
value  as  a  historical  production,  it  reviewed  that  very  extended  past- 
orate and  touched  upon  the  most  tender  recollections  of  the  past. 

Then  again  in  the  evening  to  a  large  congregation,  the  pastor.  Rev. 
Mr,  Wills,  preached  a  most  able  and  affecting  memorial  sermon  from 
the  words,  "  Know  ye  not  that  there  is  a  great  man  fallen  this  day  in 
Israel?" 

Many  were  moved  to  tears.  Then  an  address  by  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Hanlon  closed  the  public  services  in  honor  of  one  whose  name  will 
ever  be  cherished — a  household  name ;  that  of  a  noble  and  exemplary 
Christian  brother,  teacher  and  friend. 


35 

The  following  resolutions  were  passed  by  the  congregation : 

Whereas,  It  hath  pleased  tlie  all-wise  God  to  remove  by  death  our  dearly  beloved 
father,  brother  and  friend,  the  Eev.  George  Hale,  D.  D.,  who  for  thirty  years  was 
the  faithful  and  devoted  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  at  Pennington,  N.  J.; 
therefore. 

Resolved,  That  while  deploring  our  loss,  which  we  know  to  be  his  eternal  gain, 
we  bow  with  meek  submission  to  the  Divine  will  that  ordereth  all  things  well. 

That  we  treasure  in  our  hearts  his  loving  Christian  character,  his  unfaltering 
zeal,  devotion  and  self-sacrifice,  for  the  advancement  of  Christ's  kingdom  on  earth,  as 
an  example  worthy  of  imitation. 

That  with  tender  memories  will  we  recall  his  ministrations  among  us,  not  only 
during  his  long  and  useful  pastorate,  but  through  the  successive  years  that  followed, 
when  his  interest  in  this  Church  ceased  not,  and  his  fatherly  love  was  unabated. 

This  was  manifested  by  visiting  from  house  to  house,  by  his  liberal  financial  aid 
in  building  two  houses  of  worship,  in  devoting  the  failing  strength  of  his  last  days  to 
the  preparation  of  a  f.irewell  sermon,  and  his  daily  intercession  for  us  at  the  throne 
of  grace. 

The  priceless  blessing  of  his  life  in  our  midst  no  one  can  estimate.  How  many 
seeking,  anxious  hearts  he  directed  to  Christ  as  their  own  Saviour,  to  what  a  large 
number  of  sick  and  dying  believers  he  has  given  encouragement  and  hope  as  they 
were  upon  the  brink  of  eternity,  into  how  many  sad,  darkened  homes  he  has  admin- 
istered the  consolations  of  the  Gospel,  we  know  not,  for  no  family  or  individual  was 
forgotten. 

Truly  his  was  a  life  well  spent,  and  he  has  gone  to  receive  a  rich  reward,  for 
many  souls  have  been  given  him  as  stars  to  adorn  his  heavenly  crown. 

Servant  of  God,  well  done :  "  enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord." 

Resolved  further,  That  as  a  Church  we  extend  our  tender  sympathies  to  his  sor- 
rowing family,  commending  them  to  the  care  of  Him  who  is  the  widow's  God  and  a 
Father  to  the  fatherless,  J.  G.  M. 


MINUTE  OF  THE  BOARD  OF  RELIEF. 


[From  The  Chtjech  at  Home  and  Abroad,  January,  1889.] 
REV.  GEORGE  HALE,  D.  D. 

In  connection  with  the  minute  of  the  Board  given  below,  the 
Secretary  begs  leave  to  reprint  the  opening  paragraph  of  his  first 
address  to  the  Assembly  four  years  ago.     As  I  have  gone  on  with  my 


36 

work,  every  year  has  only  deepened  my  conviction  of  the  rare  worth 
and  excellence  of  this  truly  blessed  man  : 

First  of  all,  Mr.  Moderator  and  brethren,  allow  me  a  word  with 
reference  to  the  honored  and  beloved  man  who  for  many  successive 
years  stood  before  the  General  Assembly,  as  I  do  to-day,  representing 
the  Board  of  Relief  The  minute  adopted  by  the  Board  on  the 
retirement  of  Dr.  Hale,  and  which  is  appended  to  the  Annual  Report, 
expresses  none  too  strongly  the  grateful  love  and  respect  with  which 
he  will  be  regarded  by  all  who  can  appreciate  a  life  sacredly  and 
unweariedly  devoted  to  duty.  I  have  known  him  and  loved  him  for 
many  years  ;  but  not  until  I  had  entered  upon  the  work  he  relinquished 
did  I  know  with  what  purity  of  motive,  with  what  steadfast  purpose, 
with  what  unsparing  toil,  he  wrought  in  this  sacred  cause.  I  have 
never  known  a  man  of  higher  aims  or  of  more  devoted  consecration. 
The  memory  of  such  men  is  blessed. 

The  following  minute  was  adopted  by  the  Board  at  its  meeting, 
November  17  : 

The  death  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Hale,  Corresponding  Secretary  of  the 
Board  from  1868  to  1884,  having  been  announced,  it  was  resolved  that 
the  Rev.  Drs.  Cattell  and  Knox  be  appointed  a  committee  to  prepare 
a  minute  to  be  placed  on  our  records,  and  a  copy  transmitted  to  Mrs. 
Hale.     The  committee  reported  as  follows: 

The  Rev.  Dr.  George  Hale  was  born  in  Catskill,  N.  Y.,  in  1812 ; 
was  graduated  from  Williams  College,  Mass.,  in  1831.  For  two  years 
after  graduation  he  was  a  tutor  in  Williams  College,  and  then  entered 
the  Theological  Seminary  at  Princeton,  N.  J.  In  1839  he  was 
ordained  to  the  Gospel  ministry  and  installed  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  at  Pennington,  N.  J.  This  was  his  only  pastoral  charge.  In 
it  he  continued  thirty  years.  It  was  a  ministry  of  rare  excellence  and 
success.  The  intelligence  and  devotion  of  the  pastor  was  the  theme  of 
men  near  and  far,  and  rewarded  richly  by  the  blessing  of  God.  Large 
numbers  were  added  to  the  church,  and  Christians  grew  in  grace  and 


87 

in  the  knowledge  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Though  now  nearly 
twenty  years  have  passed  since  Doctor  Hale  resigned  his  pastorate,  his 
name  is  to-day  "  as  ointment  poured  forth  "  in  all  that  community. 

Upon  the  death  of  the  Rev.  Doctor  Joseph  H.  Jones,  in  1868,  Dr. 
Hale  was  elected  Secretary  of  the  Committee  of  Ministerial  Relief  by 
the  Trustees  of  the  General  Assembly,  and  upon  the  motion  of  the 
Board  of  Relief,  in  1876,  he  was  chosen  its  Corresponding  Secretary. 
He  brought  to  the  discharge  of  its  duties  qualifications  of  the  very  best 
kind.  He  was  wise  and  tender,  assiduous  and  most  painstaking.  The 
ministers,  aged  or  infirm,  and  the  widows  and  children  of  those  who 
had  been  called  to  their  reward,  were  upon  his  heart  by  day  and  by 
night  that  he  might  serve  them  most  effectively  and  most  delicately. 
His  knowledge  of  their  condition  and  requirements  was  intricate,  and 
he  did  not  fail  to  discriminate  wisely,  when  in  relieving  their  temporal 
necessities,  he  spoke  or  wrote  the  word  which  would  do  them  good 
spiritually.  In  this  way  his  name  became  a  blessed  one  in  the  house- 
holds throughout  the  land  to  which,  through  him,  the  Board  sent  the 
kindly  remembrance  of  the  Church.  In  this  work  he  continued  for 
sixteen  years,  with  ever  increasing  delight,  until  age  came  on,  and  he 
was  no  more  equal  to  the  burden  and  the  strain.  Four  years  ago  he 
retired,  leaving  the  interests  for  which  he  had  cared  so  sedulously,  and 
with  so  much  success  for  so  long  a  time,  in  a  condition  of  prosperity 
not  before  reached. 

Having  served  God  in  his  generation,  he  has  fallen  on  sleep.  He 
was  a  good  man  and  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  The  Board  cherishes  his 
memory  Avith  affectionate  and  profound  regard,  and  sincerely  sympa- 
thizes with  his  bereaved  family,  assuring  them  that  it  will  ever 
remember  most  lovingly  and  gratefully  their  sainted  husband  and 
father,  and  fervently  pray  that  the  favor  of  his  God  and  Saviour  may 
abide  on  them  to  the  latest  generation. 


38 


MINUTE   OF   THE    PRESBYTERIAN    MINISTERIAL 
ASSOCIATION,  TRENTON,  N.  J. 


IN  MEMOKY  OF  THE  REV.  DR.  HALE. 

Since  it  lias  pleased  the  Great  Head  of  the  Church  to  call  from  iis 
to  a  better  country,  to  the  realm  of  Eternal  Rest,  the  Home  of 
Glorious  Reward,  our  much  esteemed  Brother  and  venerable  Father, 
the  Rev.  George  Hale,  D,  D.,  it  is  a  pleasing  duty  to  attempt  to 
preserve  in  a  brief  memorial,  a  little  of  the  precious  fragrance  and 
fruitage  of  his  Christian  life  and  service. 

He  was  a  child  of  the  Covenant.  This  fact  wrought  in  the  work 
of  his  conversion.  His  keen  sense  of  honor  made  him  feel  that  he 
should  be  loyal  to  the  One  in  whose  Covenant  he  was  born,  and  whose 
rights  were  acknowledged  by  parental  gift  to  the  Lord  in  the  Sacra- 
ment of  Baptism.  This  covenant  relation  was  a  vital  grace  in  all  his 
life.  Amid  the  mysteries  of  God's  Providence,  it  held  him  like  the 
needle  to  the  pole.  It  gave  great  stability  to  his  character,  and  a 
unity  to  every  part  of  his  sacred  service  to  the  Master. 

As  a  preacher,  he  strove  to  "  adorn  the  doctrine  of  God  our  Saviour 
in  all  things."  Though  he  possessed  a  broad,  vigorous  and  accurate 
scholarship,  pursuing  his  studies  to  the  last,  and  might  have  won  honor 
in  the  college  world  in  which  he  began  his  public  life,  as  an  instructor, 
and  was  able  to  philosophize  and  theorize  about  the  gospel ;  he  laid  all 
his  gifts  at  the  Cross  of  Jesus  Christ  as  a  preacher  of  His  blessed 
Gospel.  The  great  distinctive  features  of  Christian  doctrine,  promul- 
gated by  our  Lord,  enforced  by  the  Apostle  Paul,  and  embodied  in 
the  Westminster  Catechism,  formed  the  groundwork  of  his  preaching. 
This  was  attended  Avith  wonderful  revivals.  Increasing  years  in  no 
wise  diminished  his  love  for  heralding  the  Gospel.  His  last  illness, 
the  first  protracted  one  of  his  life,  was  the  result  of  revival  work  in 
Florida,  where  he  had  gone  for  a  protection  from  the  Northern 
winter.     God's  word  was  as  a  fire  in  his  bones. 


39 

As  the  Pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Pennington,  New 
Jersey,  his  only  charge,  he  was  faithful  and  beloved.  He  was  a  home- 
going  Pastor.  He  knew  his  families  and  their  children  by  name.  He 
commenced  tlie  study  of  his  families  and  their  genealogies  as  soon  as 
he  entered  his  parish.  He  continued  this  broad  historic  study  of  them 
during  his  pastorate  of  thirty  years  and  the  twenty  years  following. 
The  last  work  he  did  was  the  putting  of  their  history  into  form  for  the 
celebration  of  the  j&ftieth  anniversary  of  his  pastorate.  He  finished  it 
the  day  he  died ;  it  was  read  to  him  and  he  fell  asleep.  That  anni- 
versary occurred  the  Sabbath  following.  He  celebrated  it  in  the 
Upper  Temple,  to  which  nearly  every  one  of  his  early  parishioners 
had  gone. 

As  a  minister  among  ministers,  he  was  held  in  very  high  regard. 
In  the  Courts  of  the  Church  he  held  a  place  of  honor.  For  many  years 
he  was  the  Secretary  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Princeton  Theological 
Seminary,  and  Secretary  of  the  Board  of  Ministerial  Relief  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church.  It  was  under  his  administration  that  the  Committee 
of  Ministerial  Relief  was  raised  to  the  dignity  and  permanency  of  an 
established  Board  of  our  Church.  His  efforts,-  in  spite  of  many 
hindrances,  to  rouse  a  sluggish  church  to  care  for  the  Sons  of  Levi,  and 
their  families  were  attended  with  such  success  as  would  alone  form  a 
record  that  might  well  satisfy  the  holy  ambition  of  any  servant  of  God. 

As  a  Presbyter,  his  full  measure  was  best  known  by  us.  Thoroughly 
grounded  in  the  doctrine  of  the  Divine  Sovereignty  and  Salvation  by 
Grace,  well  read  in  helpful  literature,  awake  to  a  consideration  of  all 
public  questions  for  the  good  of  Church  and  State,  his  wise  forecast  of 
the  future,  his  embodiment  of  radical  ideas  and  conservative  measures, 
thoroughly  persuaded  in  his  own  mind,  energetic  in  purpose,  possess- 
ing, at  the  same  time,  such  generosity  of  feeling  towards  his  brethren 
that  no  one  ever  heard  him  disparage  a  brother  or  his  works,  he  was 
a  most  efficient  Presbyter.  He  was  often  called  to  give  advice  to  his 
equals  in  age,  and  was  a  chosen,  spirited,  classic,  appreciated  companion 
of  the  younger  brethren.     His  last  public  appearance  was  upon  the 


40 

floor  of  the  Presbytery  of  New  Brunswick,  upon  the  eminent  occasion 
of  its  one  hundred  and  fiftieth  anniversary,  when  he  proved  himself 
to  be  a  very  repository  of  that  beloved  body.  The  whole  tone  of  his 
address,  its  compass,  its  contents,  its  particularity,  its  correctness,  the 
strength  and  fervor  of  his  delivery,  was  like  that  of  an  old  soldier 
surveying  the  field  of  warfare,  and  giving  his  last  message  in  readiness 
to  depart. 

Through  the  longing  for  intimacy  with  a  few,  which  age  and 
weariness  from  contact  with  human  affairs  often  engenders,  he  had  a 
special  love  for  this  Ministerial  Association.  What  he  was  to  other 
larger  public  bodies  of  men,  he  was  to  this  Association  with  a  degree 
of  intensity  in  proportion  to  the  narrowness  and  quietude  of  its  en- 
closure. It  was  in  this  cleric  retreat  that  he  shone  with  peculiar 
lustre.  His  best  gifts  were  here  manifest,  as  a  student  of  men  and  of 
God,  as  a  citizen  and  an  ecclesiastic,  a  ready  conversationalist  and 
debater,  an  humble  Christian  and  a  devoted  minister.  His  chair  looks 
sadly  lonely.  But  another  crown  is  won.  He  has  left  the  gate  open, 
and  his  illustrious  example  shines  upon  the  way  and  inspires  us  to 
faithful  service. 

To  his  bereaved  family,  we  tender  our  warmest  sympathy,  and 
crave  the  privilege  of  laying  this  token  of  special  regard  among  the 
many  memorial  tributes  to  their  beloved. 

We  pray  that  they  may  realize  throughout  their  lives  that  coven- 
anted blessing  claimed  by  him  in  his  dying  hour,  "  O  God,  thou  art 
my  God  from  everlasting  to  everlasting."  jy  -^  Fqstee 

A.  GOSMAN. 


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